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Native Instruments is turning 25 this year. To mark the occasion, they’re sharing a newly developed free instrument and releasing a limited-edition run of six NI products called the 25th Anniversary Collection.

TWENTY FIVE is a new instrument from NI for KONTAKT 6 and the KONTAKT 6 PLAYER that’s intended to be a time capsule of their contribution to digital music making. Drawing sounds from 37 different instruments across the company’s history, it enables users to blend the sound of classic presets from their flagship synthesizers, KONTAKT piano instruments, REAKTOR, and GENERATOR, their first ever soft synth. Coming equipped with powerful FX, macro controls and a built-in sequencer, TWENTY FIVE is part of Native Instrument’s Play Series, a set of easy-to-use instruments for KONTAKT.

The 25th Anniversary Collection is made up of MASCHINE, TRAKTOR AND KOMPLETE hardware reimagined in two new colorways, Ultraviolet and Vapor Gray. The range of instruments includes MASCHINE+, MASCHINE Mk3, KOMPLETE KONTROL S49/S61, TRAKTOR KONTROL S4, and TRAKTOR KONTROL X1 – each has been hand-numbered and finished with reflective graphics celebrating Native Instrument’s anniversary.

Native Instruments is launching a producer challenge to commemorate their anniversary. Artists from across the globe are invited to submit tracks made with TWENTY FIVE, with the winning entries receiving hardware from the 25th Anniversary Collection and KOMPLETE 13 packages. The competition runs from today until 31 December.

Regarding the anniversary, Native Instruments Chief Product Officer and President Robert Linke. said: “We couldn’t have achieved what we have without the continued support of the creators who use our products on a daily basis […] TWENTY FIVE is a small token of our appreciation.”

Visit Native Instruments website to download TWENTY FIVE, which is available until 31 December. The 25th Anniversary Collection can be purchased via their online shop.

To celebrate the arrival of Native Instruments products on Plugin Boutique, the company is giving one of its plugins, Freak, away for free to anyone who purchases another product.

Part of NI Crush Pack of effects, this dirty little unit models a diode ring circuit, and can operate in Oscillator, Radio and Sidechain modes, enabling all kinds of creative filth.

Free NI plugin with any purchase at Plugin Boutique

Until 30 September, you can have Native Instruments’ excellent Freak effect – a lo-fi powerhouse  for free!

A rich source of inharmonic noises, sci-fi burbles, detuned sweeps, crazy frequency wanderings and so much more, we described Freak as the jewel in the Crush Pack crown, so it is well worth having (particularly if you don’t have to pay for it).

Plugin Boutique is also offering 80% of the Komplete Classics Collection, a special bundle that contains Massive, Absynth5, FM8 and Replika. This can currently be yours for just $99/£89/€99.

In addition, Plugin Boutique is also 73% off the Komplete Future Classics Collection, which contains Super 8, Form, TRK-01 and Mod Pack. Again, this costs $99/£89/€99.

Find out more and grab yourself a bargain on the Plugin Boutique website.

Native Instruments has introduced a custom version of its beat production hardware, the Maschine MK3 Dinamo. The company energizes the Maschine MK3 with a limited-edition Dinamo version.

Essentially a Maschine Mk3 with a custom silver and black screenprint paint job, this is a collaboration with Swiss type foundry Dinamo, and features the design studio’s inktrap typeface on every surface. This is said to be a homage to “bold design and chunky aesthetics”. Inktrap fonts originally included notches to stop bleed in early printing, but the purpose here is to control light bleed on Maschine’s laser-etched buttons.

In addition, the typeface wraps the edges of the unit, said to be a double nod to the throw-up graffiti and marquee news tickers of the ‘80s and ‘90s, which also happen to be decades that kickstarted and popularized sample-based music-making.

The Maschine MK3 Dinamo Limited Edition only 750 units, now available at $649.00.  Find out more on  Native Instruments website